Saturday, February 20, 2016

"We need to look at beggars with different eyes, not as a scourge on society, scum by some peoples’ definition, but as human beings who got transplanted from their natal homes by poverty; drought and lack of food security; patriarchy; insufficient infrastructure to accommodate their needs" - Leila Sheikh on 'Three Generations of Women Beggars'.

Indeed. When you are born to a mother that is 14, living on the streets from a family of beggars - unless something miraculous happens - your lot in life is already cast in iron. That is not right.

When I was living near the city centre I used to take night walks around the places where [they] sleep. Once I saw an old woman with her back completely bent - she could hardly carry herself. The sight was heartrending, I wanted to cry out loud. The world can be a terribly cruel place to the best of us, but at least we have some hope for tomorrow. For others, it is completely hopeless. And that is just inhuman.

We can look at the government for the solution - and surely it can do more - but probably we the people have something that we can do. I once worked part-time for Compassion International, an organisation which helps linking children from poor communities with sponsors abroad to provide for their education. There were thousands of sponsors from the West, and these were normal individuals pledging USD 25 or more per month to care for these children. I saw no record that there was a Tanzanian contributing to the sponsorship program even though the amounts were pretty small and the beneficiaries were children in their own nation.

We have talked about this in this forum I guess. We need to institutionalise philanthropy. Unlike Westerners, many Africans are probably contributing to the welfare of many people in their extended families. I have a colleague who has had the burden of taking to school and college four or five of his siblings. I have seen firsthand how this can hold a person back. But the question is: what about people like Tumaini who come from families where there is no one to fall back to? If we only divert half of the funds we contribute to have the senseless extravagant parties and ceremonies (oh, the madness!), this could be achieved.

Poverty is not a laughing matter and for many supposedly well to do Tanzanians, including myself, it is just a life shock or two from being a reality again. That is why we take national development quite personally. That may be our only hope in the future.

Upon reading Maria Sarungi Tsehai's article on 'The Rise of the Anti-Establishment', I have realized I don't really know how far the populism in some of us would make Tanzanians go. Therein she aptly notes how the 'Establishment' is "unhappy" with Magufuli's apparent unconventional approach. In her definition of this group, she includes the "ruling and opposition parties, the legislative, judiciary, media, civil society and part of the civil service."

However, in regard to what this group says, she also asserts that all our "criticisms do not seem to have much effect on the citizenry who continue to support and defend, aggressively, the President." I partly agree. Hence my query: What would populist Tanzanians do?

What would we do if the judges misjudge our fellow Tanzanians following the President's admonition about speeding up their ruling which, if the government prosecutor wins the cases, would enable the state coffers to get trillion of shillings? Or what would we do when our fellow countrymen are falsely or unfairly accused as being caught redhanded and jailed without any due investigative and legal process? If such things happen what would we do?

Are we simply going to "defend, aggressively, the President" no matter what? Or are we going to practice our constitutional right - and indeed citizenship duty - to hold the President and the (central) government accountable? If yes, why don't we start right now?

Of course, some of our fellows Tanzanians have decided, against the grain, not to let 'populism' get in the way of 'calling a spade a spade'. They give credit where it is due, for instance, in regard to the dramatic collection of revenues in the last two month to the tune of more than 2 trillions, a trend which could indeed make Tanzania cut down its donor dependency to 3 percent. But they are also aware that this stellar performance is due to 'backlog' hence they cannot shy away from raising the question of 'sustainability'.

Such critics in the (social) media and civil society (organisation) are hardly part of the 'Establishment.' They are actually happy that the President is 'bursting the boils' from the Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) to the National Identity Authority (NIDA) and beyond. However, they also feel obliged to query the 'validity' of the President's comparison of NIDA's national identity cards and the National Electoral Commission's (NEC) cards for voters.

They are also happy that the President has ordered the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) to conduct a special audit on NIDA and the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to investigate. However, they recall what happened when such an audit and investigation was conducted on the then Tegeta Escrow account at the Bank of Tanzania (BOT). All they are worried about is a repetition of such a process given that they feel the government did not - and has not yet - gone to the 'crux of the matter' i.e. the money that were disbursed to 'key players' through Stanbic Bank.

For them, a clarion call - such as the recent one from Mzee Ibrahim Kaduma - for President Magufuli to 'repossess' those government houses is welcomed. However, to some populists the question is whether the 'Establishment' has sent Kaduma. Even if it were so, why should anyone shy away from calling for an action that is in line with the President's own 'philosophy' of 'bursting the boils'?

Karibu kwenye ulingo wa kutafakari kuhusu tunapotoka,tulipo,tuendako na namna ambavyo tutafika huko tuendako/Welcome to a platform for reflecting on where we are coming from, where we are, where we are going and how we will get there